I was at Abasto yesterday and the mall was packed with people, which isn’t surprising since it’s just before Christmas. But then I noticed that very few people were carrying shopping bags. From a quick look around, it seems like only 10% of the people had any kind of shopping bag…as an indication that they had actually brought something at one of the stores. I wasn’t sure what to make of this observation. Why be at the mall just before Christmas if you’re not buying? Then again, I was there also without a shopping bag and didn’t buy anything…just went there for a movie. And the movies were very full as usual on the weekend. Of course, I know that Argentines – even in the best economies – do not have the Xmas gift giving obsession of people in the U.S. Of course, I’ve not even started my own Xmas shopping yet. I’ll go again in a few days and see if things are any different.

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Hello there! If you wait too long to do your Chrismas shopping, it’s only going to get worse! We have this strange tradition here: since we are all on a rather tight budget, we walk about and do some sort of inventory of what is available. It’s the most annoying of practices, I know…